Glass Half Full
by She's Happy2bHardcore
Summary: PostX2. Rikku watches as all of her friends all move on in a new, better direction. But what's a bored Al Bhed princess to do with all of her newfound freetime? And what's this talk about being queen?
1. M is for 'Marriage'and 'Morons'

**Glass Half-Full**

_(A/N: Hello, and welcome to 'Glass Half-Full!' Number one, thank you times 2,000 for checking it out in the first place! FFX was, sadly, the first of the Final Fantasy games that I was ever able to play, so the characters continue to have a place in my heart. (now go 'awwww') Though I've played many of the other games since then, I've been wanting to write a X/X-2 fic about my very fav. character, Rikku, from the beginning. Ergo, this story. I really hope you enjoy 'Glass Half-Full'. - Lindsay-)_

**Chapter One: M is for 'Marriage'...and 'Moron'**

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"Rikku! Rikku wake up! Look what came in the mail!" Yuna shouted, storming up the stairs of the Celcius's cabin. Three beds sat on the upper level of this room, one which was occupied by a crumpled-up mass under some blankets. A very, _very_ irritated mass with blonde hair and a tendency to be grumpy in the morning.

Yuna, on the other hand, was far too excited to heed her cousin's mood as she uncharacteristically launched herself on top of the heap; chain reaction being Rikku's growling as she tried to scratch her way through the comforter.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" she groaned, poking her head over the top of it. Yuna's bi-colored eyes smiled back at her right before she was greeted with a small flier being stuffed in her face. Rikku hastily took it and sat up a little straighter in order to get in the right light for reading.

_To the Dullwings,_

_You have been cordially invited to witness the exchanging of vows between the likes of Miss Leblanc and Sir Nooj on the twenty-fifth of February. _

_The two are to be wed on the bridge connecting most of Guadosalem to the Farplane, symbolizing the uniting of all Spirans. Immediately following the procession will be a reception at the Chateau Leblanc, where any gifts for the new bride and groom would be highly appreciated. Please present this invitation to any one of the ushers attending the wedding to earn a seat. Thank you very much._

Rikku's blonde eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she finished reading the small piece of paper. Yuna still sat, all smiles, in front of her.

"Can you believe it? Finally, something interesting happening in Spira since the defeating of Vegnagun!" Yuna exclaimed, resting her chin in her delicate hands. She was snapped out of her reminiscing when a slight grunt of objection was heard from the bottom of the stairs.

"I mean _besides_ you being released by the dream children and saving me from going insane!" she called down the stairs, correcting herself.

But actually, Yuna's statement wasn't completely false. It had been just over a year and a half since Vegnagun had been defeated, and mostly nothing new or exciting had happened. Everybody, Yuna, Rikku, and Tidus aside, had gone their own ways. Paine decided to stay with Baralai in Bevelle in order to wrap up loose ends with one of her closest friends, Gippal had wandered back to the Thunder Plains to expand the Machine Faction, Kimahri was settling things on Mount Gagazet, Wakka and Lulu were raising precious baby Vidina, Brother was helping Cid rebuild Home, and Tidus, of course, had returned to his Yuna after her long battle with everything Spira could throw at her. As if on cue, the long-term, spikey-headed boyfriend came bounding up the stairs.

"What's with everybody being so excitable today? I'm too tired to have your kind of energy." Rikku grumbled as she scratched her head, doing nothing for her already-tossled hair.

"That's what being in love does to you." Tidus dreamily stated, carefully draping his arm over Yuna's shoulders. Rikku made a gagging motion and dove back under the covers. Seconds later, Yuna finally spoke again.

"How absurd...we never even heard word that they were engaged. And now they'll be married come next weekend!" she observed, stroking her jaw pensively.

"Know why?" Rikku's muffled voice challenged from under the blankets. "'Cause the second the two got engaged, Leblanc booked a wedding and sent out invitations before Nooj could change his mind."

"My, my, _my_! _Somebody_ is a little bit jaded when it comes to love!" Yuna giggled, ruffling where Rikku's hair would be under the blankets. "I'm not used to the upbeat and happy Rikku finding something to pout about."

The blankets seemed to sigh for a moment, and Rikku slithered out of them, wearing a yellow spaghetti-strapped tank top and some white cotton shorts. She stretched, gave her cousin a playful shove, and slowly sauntered down the stairs, mumbling something about _somebody _having to drive this piece of _cred._

Despite Rikku's sudden moodiness, the sun shone brightly in the deck of the Celcius that morning. Nobody was stationed at any of the seats, but it was nothing to worry about; Rikku had 'parked' the Celcius high above Kilika the previous night, so it was just running on auto-pilot and keeping itself afloat. As she sunk into the cockpit, she really did begin to wonder why she was being so hardened about people falling in love. It's not like she had any horrible experiences with men, mostly because if any of them had hurt her, they would flee before having the chance of meeting her wrath. Though small, Rikku could obviously pack a punch, seeing as she'd helped save Spira twice...

Nothing at all could have made her feel the way she did, so Rikku decided to blame it on her rude awakening and her lack of substance in her slim tummy. At that point, the second rude awakening was staring up at the spacey Al Bhed princess. When she finally looked down, Rikku realized that the gas gauge on the Celcius was nearing E. She let out a, "_Vilg!_" knowing that she had _just _enough fuel to run this sucker to Bikanel and fill back up. Rikku hastily typed in Bikanel's coordinates and punched a blinking red button, roughly shifting the entire ship. A couple of muffled yells could be heard from the cabin.

"Cunno!" Rikku shouted behind her as the Celcius straightened itself out and headed for the long stretch of desert. When all was calm, she breathed a sigh of relief and left to get ready for the day in front of her.

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As the airship slowly descended upon the desert nation, sand began to fly everywhere, causing people to dart behind pillars and old, broken-down pieces of machina. When the gargantuan Celcius finally landed, the grumpy natives were pleasantly surprised to see the High Summoner Yuna and her significant other, Tidus, carefully stepping off of the stairs. Even better, they saw their very own princess come bounding off of the ship in her signature bright and flightly clothes.

Yuna and Tidus politely waved while shielding their eyes, and Rikku happily beamed at the people she grew up around. Walking up to a tan, middle-aged man, she asked,

"Frana ec Pops?"

He ruffled her hair, a strange habit for everyone around Rikku lately, and nodded towards a large tent about 100 feet away. Before she could take a step, though, Yuna called her name.

"What's up?"

"Tidus and I are going to go with Nhadala to dig. I don't think I've shown him the Western Expanse yet, and it would be nice to try and find something for Leblanc's wedding gift. Wanna come with us?'

Rikku smiled but waved it off.

"Nah, I'm gonna go catch up with Pops and Brother. I haven't kept in contact as much as possible lately, so there's probably hell to pay in there." She motioned to the tent. "Good luck, though! Don't forget your water!"

With that, she jogged off to the tent, reminding herself to refuel the ship before she left.

"Rikku! Come here, girl! Where've you been lately, ya little brat!" Cid howled when his daughter slipped into the seeming sun-shield. He playfully put her into a headlock and sat her down across from his desk.

"Nice to see you, too!" Rikku joked with her father as she readjusted her braids. She, too, was smiling. Everybody in Spira thought that Cid was a little too rough around the edges, but his little princess thought that was more of a perfection than anything. His loud, commanding voice and his tendency to overreact just proved that the Al Bhed leader was as human as any other bull-headed Spiran.

For about ten or fifteen minutes, the two spoke mostly about Vegnagun, and a little about the rebuilding of Home. Cid was extremely proud of his daughter for having staved off two of Spira's greatest threats, but Rikku had a lot to be proud of her dad for as well. This was the second time that the Al Bhed people were attempting to recreate what they called Home, and it took an unbelievable amount of work. Not to mention, it was scary to think about what could possibly destroy it for a third time.

"P...uh...Pops?" Rikku stuttered, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. Her bald father, who at the time had been reclining in his chair, lifted his head to show that he was paying attention.

"What's gonna happen with the new Home? I mean, the threats in Spira seem miniscule now, but this is the way it was after the Eternal Calm, too! Until Yunie, Paine and I figured out about Vegnagun. What do we have to protect ourselves from _this_ time?" she asked, nervously fidgeting with her hands. The evacuation of Home was a terrible memory for her to recollect. The dying of many, many good people, Keyakku included. Nobody had deserved to die that day for such a stupid reason. They were only trying to help!

Much to Rikku's surprise, Cid smiled at her.

"That very question brings up a whole new subject with you, princess. You see, I'd racked my brain with that question, yet I'd kept it to myself for a very long time. That is, until your Brother confronted me with it and proposed to do something. Something that would change the future of his life and especially yours." he slowly spoke, and Rikku's heart rate began to rise. Whatever this proposition was already made her nervous. What could possibly shift who she was?

"Yuna taught Brother a great deal of English, so much that he is practiced enough to fluently speak both languages. After he returned from Vegnagun's defeat, he grew weary of staying in the desert and no longer traveling." Cid continued, but stopped when Rikku started giggling.

"I'm sorry, it's just that...hehe...Brother's normally so lazy. Now he can't sit still?"

Cid laughed with her and nodded.

"It's strange, but it appears that everybody is beginning to grow up now. Anyway, he wants to use his bilingual talents to travel and be sort of...an ambassador between Home and the rest of Spira."

Rikku cocked a blonde eyebrow.

"Yeah, but _I_ can speak both languages too, ya know!"

"But could you spend the rest of your days making boring, diplomatic decisions and solving arguments without throwing a punch?"

Pops had a good point, Rikku thought. She thought herself to be pretty diplomatic, but it usually _did_ involve jumping in the middle and making somebody bleed. She sighed and shrugged, wiping a strand of hair out of her face.

"So how does this affect me?" she questioned, practically dreading the answer. If Brother's job was going to be boring, hers was bound to be torture.

"It affects you because that would put your brother out of the line of succession."

Rikku's heart plummeted into her stomach.

"That means...?"

"That you'll be the...Queen? Queen of the Al Bheds...?" Cid let it roll off of his tongue a few times.

"It sounds weird..." Rikku practically whispered. She was still in complete shock of knowing that the desert nation would be hers one day. It wasn't that she was ungrateful. She was just scared.

"Well, how about Duchess? Or President of the Al Bhed?" Cid joked, wrinkling his eyes and rubbing the back of his head. Rikku smiled back, laughed a little, then replied,

"How about 'Princess?' Like it's always been?"

She stood, believing that it simply was the end of the discussion. Raising a hand to wave good-bye to her father, she began to tread towards the tent's exit until she was abruptly stopped by her father's voice again.

"So you'll never marry?" he curiously called after her. She wrinkled her nose in confusion and slowly turned around.

"I just...I never really thought about it. And who would wanna marry _me_?" the athletic Al Bhed nervously laughed, giving her father one more wave good-bye, and slipped out of the tent. Outside, Yuna and Tidus were chatting with about four or five Al Bhed at the Celcius's entrance. Tidus held a large paper bag under his arm.

"Hey! I'm gonna fill this thing's tank and we're heading out, okay?" Rikku called over the people. Yuna and Tidus nodded. As quickly as she could, Rikku pulled a long hose out of a pillar and stuck it into a slit-shaped hole in the side of the airship. In roughly two minutes, the hose clicked, signaling that the tank was full. Yuna ran up to her as she was putting the hose back, pulling something out of the mysterious paper bag.

"Look what we dug up! It was so beautiful that I had to save it for you!" she exclaimed, placing it on Rikku's head. Tidus soon joined his girlfriend in looking at the ancient, yet beautiful tiara on Rikku's head, and said, without thinking,

"Fit for a princess, right?"

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_(A/N: Yayyy! End of Chapter 1! I've had the concept of a Rikku story in my head longer than any other story idea I've put out there to date. You could say it's sort of my baby. Haha. Anyway, I'm doing everything I can to make this story the best that I can make it, bringing out personalities and giving a good mix of dialogue and story. But I won't give anything away quite yet! You have to stay tuned! Please, please, please review...I live for those things. :grin:)_


	2. Stoagies and Sticky Shoes

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_(A/N: Yayyy! End of Chapter 1! I've had the concept of a Rikku story in my head longer than any other story idea I've put out there to date. You could say it's sort of my baby. Haha. Anyway, I'm doing everything I can to make this story the best that I can make it, bringing out personalities and giving a good mix of dialogue and story. But I won't give anything away quite yet! You have to stay tuned! Please, please, please review...I live for those things. :grin:)_

**Glass Half-Full**

**Chapter 2: Stoagies and Sticky Shoes**

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In the city of Bevelle, life and excitement was booming as usual; this time, though, three familiar people paid a special visit in order to shop for the upcoming wedding of Nooj and Leblanc.

"No," a crimson-eyed beauty with a tough exterior simply stated. "There is no way in this world that you'll get me into that horrible outfit unless you intend on getting hurt."

"But Paaaaa-aaaine!" Rikku whined, holding the frilly white outfit in front of her, "I think it would give you an air of elegance!"

"No no no...try on _this._" Yuna cut in, holding an aquamarine replica right in front of it. The silver-haired woman looked at both of them like they were compeltely inept and shook her head.

"These frills would make anybody look like a pansy. I'm not wearing it."

All three let out a sigh, being completely overwhelmed by the whole situation. The wedding of Nooj and Leblanc was going to be very talked about in the near future, so it pretty much went without saying that nobody wanted to be the worst-dressed attendent at the wedding. Not even the toughest of girl warriors wanted to look bad. Finally, though, Paine's eyes lit up when she spotted something on the opposite wall. As she glided across the room in a swift movement, she snatched up a blazer, a pair of pants and a blouse and dashed off to a changing room. She was tired of looking at all of the sickeningly girly things that her friends were throwing at her and simply wanted to get out of this heavily-perfumed store as quickly as possible.

Taking a cue from their take-no-crap friend, Rikku and Yuna hurridly split up and began searching for their own items. In the end, they all decided on things that complimented their personality as well as their body. Paine's tight leather pants and matching jacket had enough sophistication to pass for a wedding, and the crimson blouse complimented her eyes. Yuna decided on a pink, spaghetti-strapped peasant blouse with a tanned, knee-length skirt. Finally, Rikku wore an emerald-green spaghetti-strapped dress with a matching shawl. Rikku's outfit, for whatever reason, stirred up questions amongst her friends.

"Wow...uh...you're pretty conservative there, Rikku. Everything alright?" Paine teased as she gave her the up-down. Rikku went to playfully punch her on the shoulder, but wisely changed her mind.Yuna chimed in.

"Yeah, where's the spunky, on-edge Rikku that we all know and love?" she asked, ruffling her cousin's blonde hair.Rikku put her hands on her hips, scowling right back.

"What's the big deal you two meanies! Can't a girl be..._sophisticated _once in awhile?" she spat back accusingly, her green eyes burning with anger.

"Easy, princess. Just wanted to know why the change. It just doesn't seem like you, that's all." Paine uncharacteriscally comforted, and Rikku calmed a little. Only a little, though, seeing as being called 'princess' was a constant reminder of her so-far secret future.

"I just...maybe I don't wanna be a spinstress all my life!"

"But you're only half-passed 19."

"So? Yunie's only 20 and she's got Tidus!"

"And...?"

"And Paine! You're 21 and you've got---"

"Say 'Baralai' and I'll kick you in the fallopian tube."

It was lucky that Paine had suddenly decided to be so blunt, seeing as Rikku's mind was starting to swim with thoughts and emotions that she wasn't used to.

"I..." Rikku went to spit out everything that she meant, but the hard lump forming in her throat made it difficult. At this point, Paine and Yuna had completely given their attention to their tongue-tied comrade. "I don't want to be left behind. I want to find my place, too." She stuttered, sliding a slightly-damp hand over her forehead and onto the top of her head.The talk with Cid had made her uncomfortable for this very reason; she hated to even _think _about being alone, let alone confront the people that were seemingly abandoning her. Rikku's exterior was a bubbly, happy girl whose silliness and natural honesty drowned out her insecurities. Insecurities like growing up too fast and being left in the dust by people she thought of as family. And now, right here in the middle of a Bevellian dress shop, all of those insecurites were suddenly emerging in front of everybody. It was embarassing, to say the least.

Slowly, Yuna took a step towards her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Rikku...what happened? Who put these ideas in your head and made you feel this?"

Rikku shrugged uncomfortably, then tried to laugh it off.

"It's just something Pops said earlier. Duties of an adult and whatnot. Heh. You know how it goes!" she giggled, walking towards the register to pay for her items. Paine and Yuna stood for a moment of hesitation, then followed. Rikku had gone from one extreme to the other, then back down just as quickly without warning. Nobody had _ever_ seen her act the way she did that day, but they also knew that Rikku was the type who would talk when she felt obligated to. They would wait for that time to come, but do their best to cheer their good friend up in the meantime.

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A week and a half later and the wedding was already upon them. Paine had decided to stay on board the Celcius for old times' sake; at least until the wedding was over. After that, it was back to Bevelle to continue this mysterious soul-searching that Baralai was supposedly aiding her with. It was strange to see a person like Paine turn to somebody else in order to figure out something about herself. It was no mystery that she was a very tight-lipped person in regards to practically everything around her, so the shock still hadn't worn off of Yuna and Rikku that she requested that an upstanding political leader help her figure out...whatever it was that she was figuring out. Yet even though this certain man happened to be a politician, he was still the same Baralai that had gone out for the Crimson Squad with Paine as their recorder. And perhaps that was the comfort in the change that happened so frequently in Spira. No matter what events turned their world inside-out, they all usually managed to stay true to the people they've always been.

Yuna had been contacted after returning to the Celcius from dress shopping by one of the people on Leblanc's wedding staff. Apparently, Leblanc was practically on her knees begging for Yuna to sing something at the reception. Something about unity and blah, blah, blah...whatever it was sounded a lot like the reason for singing in the Thunder Plains. Vegnagun was gone, and the final merging of all the people, Al Bhed, New Yevonites, Youth League members alike, still needed some final touches. And obviously, anybody who was _anybody_ was coming to their wedding, so a song by the already walked-on High Summoner would be just _perfect._ Yuna was only mildly irritated and didn't let anybody see it, but she _did_ decide to shake things up with whatever she sang. In the end it had to be appropriate for a wedding, so vengeance-laced trance songs about breakups were out the window. And since nobody seemed to realize that Yuna had been trying to appear more risque, the lyrics had to have a little added spiciness to make people wonder. Yes, nothing but high-energy, sexy fun for this new single. Perhaps Tidus would see her in a new light as well...

Rikku had settled down from her minor-dress-shop-meltdown after awhile, but not before giving herself a good ego-bruising. She'd sat up in her bed, staring out the window and wondering what she had to do to get herself out of such a strange funk.

_Okay..._ she thought, _What upset me in the first place? I mean besides the thought of Prostitution R Good Barbie squeezing into an equally tarty wedding dress? Yowch...easy, Rikku. Well, maybe that's just it! Love. Love makes me a little upset because everybody, harlots included, seems to have it except for me! So all I have to do is...ugh. Find my prince. Find my prince and I will be equally fulfilled. And mature._

Rikku happily bumbled off of her own bed and pranced down the stairs, stopping at Barkeep's bar. She ordered a martini for self-celebration, but before she left, she looked square at Barkeep and said,

"Know what?"

"Yeeeessssh?"

"I'm going to this wedding, and I'm going to have fun! Know why?"

"Well, Mish RikkuuUUU--"

"'Cause I'm young, I've saved the world twice, and I'm not going to be a spinstress!"

"Okey dokeshy Missh Rikku!"

With that, Rikku happily skipped off, careful not to spill her fresh drink all over herself. That would be a step in the wrong direction of maturiosity. Yes, sir. And there would be none of that.

**SMACK.**

Rikku ran right into some horribly misplaced wall. "Wha--? Tidus!"

Tidus had stumbled back a little bit as well, scratching the back of his head and blushing like a madman.

"S-sorry, Rikku! Heh heh. So clumsy lately! Whooo...hey, Barkeep! Got any specials tonight?"

Rikku cocked a blonde eyebrow and walked towards the elevator, wondering what in Lying Yevon's name had gotten into her cousin's boyfriend. Oh, dear. That was probably just it---what had Yuna done? She skipped a level and went straight down to the engine room in search of her crazy cousin. Lo and behold, Yuna was completely in character, pacing around in her songstress outfit. Her hair was nothing short of humoring as it stuck in every direction, and her flushed face was enough to tell her entire story without her even needing to say a word. But she did, anyway.

"I...I, uh, practiced my song for Tidus just now! It was the first time that he got to see me sing, and, uh..."

"You didn't even get past the second line before he saw you in that songstress outfit and jumped you?" Rikku empathized, fingering through her cousin's hair and doing what she could with it. Yuna's eyes turned into saucers.

"How did you know!"

Rikku giggled and shook her head.

"You're just radiating of glory and happiness. That, and your bra is still on the floor over there." she replied, before leaving a stunned Yuna to silently freak out. But to Rikku, all of life's strange happenings were peachy-keen, jelly bean. Even those horrid images that wouldn't leave her mind couldn't get her down, because she, too, would have something to brag about come Saturday. She'd pick up some hopelessly adorable anti-yevonite and make him her love slave. Or just get her dad to be still for a moment while she tried to catch up with her friends.

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Guadosalem was every girl's dream on that Saturday. The whitest of flowers lined every wall, and the pyreflies that somehow managed to escape the Farplane gave the small city a sense of dream and euphoria that had been long gone in the solemn place. Too many bad things had happened in that city, so Nooj and Leblanc had to be given credit for trying to put something on Guadosalem's hypothetical list of "pros."

Hypellos had worked long and hard, lining hundreds of chairs in front of Leblanc's chateau, and now those chairs were being filled. Many, many people, most from high-standing positions within their communities talked amongst themselves; for Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, this sound was like music, seeing as nobody was raising their voice or throwing a punch.

The second the three were done ogling the gorgeous decorations, they took their seats, front and center, and waited for the procession to begin. While seated, many people approached them for autographs, which irritated them a little, to be honest. It's not that the former Gullwings were jaded about being sphere hunters or the hero of their people; it just bummed them out that the attention was being taken away from the wedding. Away from the reason that they were all there in the first place.

"High Summoner Yuna! What an honor!" shouted a man amidst the crowd. He came bumbling forward, a large, ungraceful man, and approached the three with no regard for etiquette whatsoever. This was made obvious by the large cigar sticking out of the side of his mouth and the way he was _already _drawing a business card. At a wedding that was due to start in roughly three minutes. Why wouldn't these people just let them be for right now!

"The name's Haaz Beachman, and I'm in the public relations business. You see, I want you to be on the cover of Spiran magazines all over the place. This blazing pop career that you've left behind; why not pick it back up? I mean, with saving the world like you've done, and _quite_ a body for pict---" Haaz placed his left hand quite blatantly on Yuna's rear end but was cut off my Paine stepping between the two and staring down the stout man.

"Excuse me, Mr. Beachman, but we're at a wedding, and you're undressing the High Summoner with your eyes. Pretty thick for somebody in PR, don't you think?"

Haaz glared up at the woman, only slightly intimidated, and began to retort. Fortunately, a beautiful sound cut them off. The sound of music beginning the procession. Everybody took their seats, and the wedding began.

_Whoaaaa! That was freaking awesome of Paine._ Rikku thought as the soft music lulled everybody into a peaceful trance. _Unwanted attention aside, this whole event hasn't been too bad! Ooh! Here comes Nooj all dressed up. Awww. He looks like such a softie in a tux like that. Cleans up pretty well, doesn't he?_

Nooj did look very charming in his black suit as he came walking out of the Farplane entrance and onto the bridge. He smiled down at all of the spectators with a certain mist in his eyes that wouldn't be expected in a former Deathseeker. Turning his attention back to the Farplane tunnel, he watched as his groomsmen joined him on the makeshift alter.

_Doodie doot doooo...hmm. Pretty music. Oh, man. Do I have gum stuck on the bottom of my heel? Cred! OK, Rikku, don't be un-graceful. No more cursing, and let's not look stupid while you check your shoe. Maybe I'll just step on Yuna's foot and see if we stick together. But I have to make it subtle...ready. One, two...oh look! Groomsm---OH, VILG! VILG, VILG, VILG. What is HE doing here!_

Rikku watched in terror as Baralai walked on stage accompanied by...him. Gippal. Gippal and his tanned skin and his spiked hair and his eye patch and his sharp suit and his everything that Rikku hated to love. He really _was_ such an egotist and always made her blood boil when he'd talk down to her in public. But while her blood boiled, there was something about him that made her furious and completely desperate for him at the same time.

They had been young and silly, flirtacious to a fault, and ended up together at one point. Rikku would never forget how into him she was, and she thought it was completely mutual. She even came to the decision that he would be the one she gave everything..._everything_ to. But when that night came and they'd met in a machina graveyard to make that very exchange, he abruptly changed his mind. He changed his mind and said nothing more to her for months. At that point, he left to try out for the Crimson Squad, and Rikku left to save Yunie. Then, when they met in Djose two years later, he'd played it off like they were old friends. Chummy chum chummy Gippal and his obnoxious ways of hurting her in front of her friends without them having any idea at all. Every time the Machine Faction needed help, Rikku was forced to remember the way her 15 year old self experienced her first stupid heartbreak.

And now, Gippal and his manipulative ways, Gippal and his stupid tuxedo, they were standing up there being diplomats. While Rikku was being sticky and a deer-in-the-headlights. And now, Gippal was grazing the crowd with his eye; it landed on Rikku, and Gippal and his horrible self dared to smile at her.

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_(A/N: Thank you again to the three of you that reviewed (very kindly, I might add) my last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one as well, and I'll update again on Monday. Until then, I must go give blood and probably die. Thanks for reading! -Lindsay-)_


	3. Unforgiving Memories & Too Much to Drink

**Glass Half-Full**

_(A/N: Oh...wow. I had an unbelievably tough weekend. I wrote, nonetheless, and had a ton of fun with it, but what really cheered me up happened about five minutes ago. When I came in, checked the stats of this fic, and saw the unbelievable feedback, I was floored! Thank you all so, so much for all the positivity in the reviews you left; you have no idea how happy they made me! Oh, and so you know, it was the passing of my drum instructor that had me in such a weird funk. He was misdiagnosed with 'acid reflux' and had a heart attack last Saturday. He couldn't have been older than 35. Anyway, thanks for cheering me up and please enjoy this next (and long) chapter! -Lindsay-)_

**Chapter 3: Unforgiving Memories and Too Much To Drink**

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After roughly 20 seconds of Rikku's particularly humorous position, Yuna nudged her to snap her out of her deer-in-the-headlights trance. By this time, Gippal had looked, smirked, and turned his attention back to the groom, but Rikku stayed halfway bent over in her seat with her foot a few inches off of the ground, getting ready to inspect her shoe. She snapped back to reality, flushing and hastily sitting back in her seat; as much as Yuna tried to get eye contact, Rikku stared dead ahead. The music shifted, and everybody's attention was on the stage again.

Leblanc began to step out of the other end of the walkway, making her way up the spiraling pathway that led to the bridge. Despite Rikku's forecast, she really _did _look beautiful like every bride should, but a little quieter shade of lipstick would have been better. Waiting for her on the bridge were Nooj, his two groomsmen, and her Fem-Goon bridesmaids.

_Aha. There it is._ Rikku thought, regaining her ability to be normal. _Somebody in this wedding was destined to look like a harlot. Try TWO._

She wasn't wrong. The bubble-gum pink bridesmaid dresses were strapless, with a slit going up their left leg and ending just below the hip. Instead of the traditional bouquets of flowers, they had...hmm. What a surprise. Miniscule fans that opened in front of their low-cut dresses. Momentarily side-glancing, Rikku saw something that nearly doubled her over, laughing. Paine's left eyebrow was cocked so high that it almost rested on top of her head, and her mouth was blatantly gaping open. She, too, must have noticed the over-the-top promiscuity of the bridesmaid's dresses and couldn't find much more to pay attention to. Yuna was being Yuna, trying to conceal her unbelieving grin and be as sophisticated as possible.

So there it was. Five minutes into the wedding, and the Gullwings had already broken into their true character right in the front row. Paine was finding some dry way of conveying her disbelief, Yuna was trying (and failing) to remain composed, and Rikku had already managed to embarass herself with her ADD-like nature. The rows of chairs behind them must be having a field day by watching them.

Suddenly, Maechen, an old, wandering storyteller, appeared on the side of the bridge that Nooj and co. had emerged from. He gingerly walked over, tall hat making him...well...still shorter than every person that accompanied him up there, and stopped when he came between the two pre-wed lovebirds. At that point, he turned, faced the audience, and delivered an expectedly long dialogue:

_People of Spira, we are gathered here today to witness the exchanging of vows between this man and this woman: Sir Nooj, a former member of the Crimson Squad and founder of the Youth League, and dear Miss Leblanc, another wonderful asset to the defeat of Vegnagun._

Paine stifflied a half-scoff, half-laugh, and Yuna delivered a silencing kick to the back of her calf. Rikku watched as Leblanc teared up, reaching in her bosom to retrieve a tissue. In front of everybody. At that point, she recalled all the times Leblanc _did_ fight around or against them, and realized that the down-the-shirt item grab was pretty commonplace. What else did she have in there? Small pieces of machina? Chocobos?

_...whose love has run deep for each other as many years have passed. Accompanying the witnesses that sit before you are those among us that could not attend in body, but in spirit. The Farplane holds many people who would most certainly be joyous to see the world in the state it is in now. So much peace, so much prosperity, and so much rebuilding what was taken from us. Not only does this matrimony symbolize the uniting of these wonderful people, but the many people of Spira who are now and forevermore as one. Let us begin._

_Do you, Sir Nooj, take this woman..._

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"Oh, man. I know I was dead for two years, but nothing seems to have changed for Maechan. He sure knows how to make a five-second Luca ceremony into a forever and a half soliloquey about Spira!" Tidus grumbled, poking at his food. He, along with Yuna, Rikku, and Paine all sat at a round table inside the Chateau Leblanc at the wedding reception. The lights were dimmed, all except those provided for by the Hypello DJ. That, and every table was adorned with tiny, red candles and confetti. The four had been tearing into the procession for a couple of minutes now, but it did seem like the perfect time. Paine would be leaving them by tomorrow, and everybody else was up and talking. That way, nobody could hear how slightly jaded the seeming anti-heros were that night.

You really couldn't blame them for wanting to fight the system once more. For starters, it was naturally in them; they had defied Yevon and, therefore, become the victors. But that aside, playing the role of the trophy-guest was getting old. It always just looked good for them to be places, even if it was completely unnecessary to be there. Yuna would never forget the hundreds of chocobo race ceremonies she had to attend to 'comfort her people.' She loved Spira, and she was eternally grateful to be the leader of the absurd pack that saved it, but sometimes the attention was a bit much. Like now, when the overjoyed Tobli came scurrying up to the table and began tugging on her skirt.

"Miss Yuna! How goody good good to see you on such a fantabulous evening! How fantastic for you to come! Are you ready to do your number for the people that adore you? Come, come! Let's get you ready!" he babbled, and Yuna visibly started chewing on the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping. Poor girl. Reluctantly, she stood, kissed Tidus on the cheek, and walked off with the walking, talking, endorphin.

"Who the hell was that...guy?" Tidus asked in a moment of sheer confusion. Paine swirled the contents of her glass, shaking her head and swallowing a great deal of it.

"He's most likely the reason the Hypellos have a speech impediment. Very excitable, not very trustworthy. We had to deal with him a lot when Yuna was searching for you." she answered, leaning back in her chair and watching the penguin-like creature talk excitably up to the apathetic High Summoner. Rikku, suddenly struck by curiosity, looked up at Tidus.

"Hey, Ti?"

"Hmm?"

"How does it feel to be in such a high position? Like, leading your people and all that?"

Tidus laughed a little, then replied,

"Why don't you tell me? I fell in love with Yuna, helped save Spira once, died, and here I am! You saved it twice, so you should be the expert of handling the fame, right?"

Rikku shook her head violently, letting her hair (that was left down for the night) whip her in the face.

"I mean...you're with Yuna, and she's sort of like...I don't know...the _queen_ of Spira, so to speak. That would make you what would be her king, I guess. It's different than fame, it's a sort of power. Yeah. So it's different---what's it feel like?" she finally blurted out, trying to find a way to convey her thoughts. Thankfully, Tidus didn't laugh at her close-to-home analogy and did his best to give her a good answer.

"You feel obligated. I mean, not some bad obligation like going to a job you hate or anything. Sure there are diplomatic issues that aren't so much fun to deal with, but it's...hmm. It's different when you're in love. Heh. It's actually nice to go to work with the person you want to be with forever."

Rikku had always been thankful for the clumsy way Tidus explained himself, because she had always been the same way. In fact, she and Tidus had always had a strong connection, right from the get-go. Her two best friends had fallen in love, but rather than be jealous, she realized that this was a reason to be happy. As long as they never left her, she'd be happy. Suddenly, Rikku's thoughts were interrupted by her cousin's voice belting out,

"Way down inside..."

Which was accompanied by a piano-like melody and a trance beat in the background. (A/N: I usually don't do this, but the song is called "Let me be Your Fantasy" by Ashley Jade.) Hmm...this was different. Tidus's face turned two colors of red as he focused on his beautiful...well...co-worker.

Everybody got up to dance, Rikku included. The lyrics were definitely more risque than she was used to hearing Yuna use, but that was the type of thing that Rikku loved. Breaking the geisha-like girl out of her shell and into a bit of a sex goddess was a fun project, and Yunie seemed to have it on auto-pilot now. That's a girl. People of all ages moved together to the intoxicating thump of the bass, uniting as one on the dance floor. Dance was universal and joyous, and therefore had all the reason to be expressed at a wedding that was post-apocolyptic nightmare. Rikku observed everybody dancing around her as she, too, found her rhythem in the song.

_Ooh! Baralai sure is getting close to Paine...how positively juicy! Wait, why am I concentrating on the fact that the two are dancing together when it's a miracle in itself that Paine was dancing at all! And without a songstress outfit, at that! Hmm...look at all the 12 year olds trying to hit on Tidus. Shame, shame you little pre-pubescent deviants. A girl saves you from your impending doom and you try to sneak in a hand on his----wait a second. Someone is trying to dance with me. OK, Rikki, act calmly and maturely. Do not turn around and maybe they'll go away..._

Rikku whirled around to find none other than Gippal dancing right behind her. He had that smug look on his face, the one that said, "Yeah, go ahead and try to ignore me. You can't." And unfortunately for Rikku, he was right. By this point, he'd hung his coat up and was sporting only his white shirt and tie. A white shirt that had already become slightly damp with the sweat he'd been working up dancing. Gross! Ok, not gross at all. Completely wonderful. But wait...

"What's the matter, Cid's girl? Forget how to dance?" he teased, reaching out for one of her hips. It was then that Rikku realized how long she'd been staring at him with a blank expression on her face. She _really _needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts like that. With a swift movement, she avoided his gesture and immediately wished she hadn't. The horrible battle inside her was raging again; one side screaming at her to turn and run away from the former heartbreaker and probably current ladies' man, and the other half wanting to jump him right then and there. So naturally, the obvious answer was to stand there and just look at him.

"No. I know how to dance!" Rikku spat back defensively. Yes! This was it! Get him, girl; you're off to a great start! "It's just...I just...I just remembered that I have to pee." she finished, and immediately wished she could physically reach out, grab her words, and stuff them back into her big, stupid mouth. Gippal cocked an eyebrow as Rikku felt the urge to vomit all over her beautiful green gown. He spoke again,

"You wore---"

Rikku brushed past him and into the bathroom. He sighed, finishing his sentence.

"You wore your hair down. Just like you used to."

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_How could he? How could he have been so rude as to make fun of our breakup like that? How could I have done something so stupid as to blurt out that I had to pee! Oh, sweet, lying, Yevon. What now?_

Rikku paced in the Chateau's beautiful bathroom, wringing her hands. Finally, she forced herself to stop and looked in the mirror. Her usually tied-up and braided hair had been left down and put into big, spiraling curls for the night. It was an awkward feeling, since she hadn't worn it like this in roughly three years. Her mind then faded into a memory that she had tucked away for quite some time.

_She and Gippal would sneak away for the night, hiding in the machina graveyard that they used as their very own refuge. What they did had become somewhat of a ritual: about once every month, the two would pick a night to stay in the abandoned plain, sharing secrets and enjoying each other's company until daybreak. _

_"Rikku?" Gippal would whisper._

_"Hmm?" his girlfriend would respond, already knowing what he was about to say._

_"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?"_

_"Because it always gets in the way of working and it's too much to fuss with."_

_"We're not working now."_

_"No, we're not, Gippy."_

_At that point, she would finally look at him and his goofy, pleading face. Then, as always, she would roll her emerald eyes and let her blonde hair down for her boyfriend. Gippal would smile, burying his face in the floral-smelling mass of hair and whisper to her,_

_"Any lesser of a man couldn't handle all your beauty." with his cocky tone, and she would playfully punch him. Always. And when the sun began to rise over the horizon, they would hurry back home, never getting caught, and go into work that day as tired as ever. Yet no matter the consequences of staying awake all night, everything was worth risking when you were a young teenager in love_.

Rikku snapped back out of her trance, shaking her head. Memories are nice, but...

The song ended outside, and the DJ's broken English voice was heard asking for all the members of the wedding party to come to the dance floor. There. The threat of evil Gippal was gone.

Rikku sauntered back into the room, unnoticed, and slipped back into her seat at the table. Everybody was red in the face from dancing so much except for her, which she was glad for.

It turns out that now was the time for the bride and groom to share their first dance, leaving the wedding party to join in after a moment. A slow jazz number started playing, and the six wedding members joined together for the tradition. Everybody else stood around talking, including Yuna, Tidus, and Paine. Yuna and Tidus stood together with a group of Gagazet ambassadors and Paine was exchanging words with other former members of the Crimson Squad that had also been invited by Nooj. Neither group had 'Rikku' written on it, and she didn't want to look like such a loner at the table, so she decided it was time to mingle. Picking up a glass from the drink table, she wandered over to a group of important-looking people.

"...so, furthermore, the whole thing should be built back up again!" a larger man belted out, and everybody nodded in agreement. Rikku nodded as well, though she hadn't the faintest idea of what they were talking about.

"What do you think, miss?" the large man asked, shifting his attention to Rikku. She paled a bit, then replied,

"Of course! All the way! Agreed!"

The men looked at each other with confused expressions and the man spoke again,

"But...you worked to shut _down_ the theme park that your own father set up. Now, you want it rebuilt again?"

_Oh, cred._

"Ahhh...uhmmm...what is it that you're drinking?"

Rikku scurried away from the men and joined a second group of people, downing her alcohol and grabbing another glass from the table on her way.

"Rebuilding Kilika was just another time that we had to pull together, even though Sin might have attacked again at any moment. Now, all of the threats are gone and the city is really expanding..." a woman was saying. Boo-ooring. Rikku stood with the group of four or five, but looked over another woman's shoulder onto the dance floor. Fem-Goon number two was dancing with Gippal and giving him a nauseatingly lovesick look. He, in turn, smiled somewhat politely and tried to avoid how close she was getting to her. Baralai appeared to be in a similar predicament, and Rikku saw Paine eyeing the pair as she conversed with the Crimson Squad veterans. Gippal's Fem-Goon stepped closer as she swayed, wrapping her arms around his neck and making both him and Rikku squirm. She began whispering something in his ear, much too closely, and Rikku reached for drink number three.

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Warm, warm, warm. Rikku was so very warm and delightfully happy. She sat at the table, swaying in her chair a bit, and watching the room dance around her. Not the people, but the walls themselves moved in very happy motions. By now, it was getting late in the reception, and people were slowly filtering out of the party and towards home. The dance floor still had a good number of people in it, but Yuna and Tidus had already gone home, and Paine and Baralai sat at a table in the corner, conversing deeply. Not that Rikku had really noticed. She was too busy eating all the peanuts on everybody's table.

"Ooh. So thirsty. Salty, salty peanuts." She earnestly told an older man whose peanuts she was currently stealing. He eyed her with a bit of concern, a bit of pity, but reluctantly nodded.

"Don't wait up for me..." she hiccuped, standing up to make her way to the drink table. She definitely needed something to wash down those darned salty peanuts. Ooh! Drinkies. Rikku wobbled her way to the table, reaching her tiny arm out for another glass of whatever she had been consuming the entire night.

"I think you've had a bit much, don't you?" a deep voice asked her. Rikku whirled around, glass and hand, and nearly fell into the table.

Gippal once again stood behind her, but caught her before she singlehandedly destroyed the table. Rikku scowled, taking a sip. He once curiosity had quickly rushed into a bit of drunken anger.

"You..." she growled, pointing a misaimed finger at the Machine Faction leader, "You are a mean...mean, mean boy. And you are not nice."

With that, she downed the rest of the contents, dropping the glass and allowing it to shatter on the floor. Gippal winced and reached for her.

"Rikku, I really think we should get you home. Come on, let me take you back to the airship."

Finally, Rikku let everything spill out.

"Gippal...! ...N-no!" she protested, clumsily avoiding his grasp and beginning to create a scene. "You br...:hic: broke my heart you big meanie! You broke my heart and my hair and I really do not like you right now. Please. I am very warm, and I am going to be a queen someday, so do not follow me and my broken hair home."

Rikku was beyond the realm of hammered. Gippal simply shook his head as he watched her walk out of the Chateau's doors. In his mind, he counted down from ten and allowed himself to follow her. Surely enough, not five feet from the building's exit, Rikku lay sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. Gippal's heart sunk into his stomach. Rikku..._his_ Rikku. Something had gotten to her and changed the girl she used to be. He doubted that she made getting drunk a habit, but he didn't doubt that she had a lot of inner demons to fight. She'd seen a lot in her young life and had a lot of memories to keep locked away. Lots of mental scarring that she had to hide away from the world in order to be a hero. Including...

He sighed. He'd hurt her so many years ago, but she never knew why. If only he had been able to get her on her own without her being relentlessly angry or inebriated, he might be able to explain himself and his actions. Until then, the once vision of perfection lay spread out on the Guado soil. It was then that he lifted the light woman off of the ground and carried her to the Celcius, fully planning on doing what he should have done years ago; take care of his girl.

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_(A/N: Yayyyy! There is chapter three and all of it's (hopefully) glory. This chapter was so much fun to write that I stayed up way late on Friday to finish it. A drunk Rikku is a very fun Rikku to write about. Anyway, please read and review, and I will churn out another chapter as soon as I possibly can. Thanks for reading! -Lindsay-)_


	4. New Beginnings and Oaka's Black Market

**Glass Half-Full**

_(A/N: Hello again! Welcome to Chapter 4 of Glass Half-Full. I'm warning you, this has been the toughest chapter to write so far, and I still don't give it my complete seal of approval. Nonetheless, I'm sick of looking over it, and I've decided to go balls-out and post it for my favorite fans. (Now go 'awwww.') I had a writer's block halfway through, so forgive me if this entry isn't completely up to par when it comes to your expectations. Thanks again for reading; your support and kind reviews cheer me up like you wouldn't believe. Enjoy! -Lindsay-)_

**Chapter 4: New Beginnings and Oaka's Black Market**

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As the airship doors to the Celcius opened, Yuna and Tidus sat awake in the bridge. Gippal slowly walked in, careful not to wake the unconscioius Rikku in his arms, and Yuna darted up from her seat.

"What---!" She began, and Gippal silenced her by putting one of his fingers up to his lips. Tidus then stood up, peering over his girlfriend's shoulder at the Al Bhed in his arms.

"She had a little too much to drink," Gippal whispered to them, "Nothing a good PR agent couldn't handle." Yuna looked like she'd just been hit by a train, and Gippal smirked at her.

"Don't worry, Yuna. I'll take care of her for the night; it's no trouble."

The High Summoner looked relieved as Gippal walked past the two of them into the elevator. He already knew how to navigate around the Celcius seeing as he'd stumbled upon the ancient blueprints in his Djose office one day. Within minutes, he had Rikku upstairs and into her bed.

"Hmm. You're burning up, Cid's girl..." Gippal mumbled, mostly to himself, as he grazed her forehead with the back of his hand. He stood again, removing her high-heeled shoes, and jogged down to a sleepy Barkeep. He asked for a couple of damp cloths, a bucket of ice water, and a normal empty bucket; afterwards, he jogged right back up to Rikku's side.

"There..." he whispered, wringing out one of the cloths and wiping the overheated Al Bhed's forehead. Her breathing quickened for a moment, and she opened her eyes.

"Ughh...I...I'm gonna..." she grumbled, and Gippal was quick to understand what was happening. With a swift movement, he grabbed the empty bucket just as Rikku leaned over the side of the bed to empty her stomach. In the meantime, he held back her hair.

The majority of the night went mostly like that; Rikku fading in and out of consciousness and occasionally throwing up. Not once did Gippal fail to aid her in her uncomfortable state as he kept her cool and readied himself for every upset stomach. Around four or five in the morning, her sickness ceased, and Gippal covered her up completely with her blanket. He, on the other hand, stole a blanket from one of the other beds not in use and wrapped himself in it. As opposed to sleeping in one of the other beds in the room, he chose a chair next to Rikku's bed. This way, he'd wake up immediately if she were to get sick again.

Around noon, the sun coming through the airship's window woke the Al Bhed girl. She had a splitting headache and couldn't remember a single event from the previous night.

_Oh, Yevon. I need to invest in some curtains in this place. What HAPPENED last night...? Leblanc and Nooj got married...I went to a reception...Paine was dancing...I was dancing...ugh. Gippal showed up and upset me...can't remember anything past that, but it apparently involved alcohol..._

Rikku sighed, nursing her sore head, and rolled over in her bed. Then, she gasped, wanting to get up and run that very moment. Sleeping in a chair next to her bed and wrapped in blankets was a very tired-looking Gippal.

_Oh, no. Oh no oh no oh no. That pile of Shoopuf cred tried to take advantage of me last night! I'll kill him!_

Rikku reached for the first thing her hand could grab and chucked it at the Machine Faction leader. That thing happened to be a small alarm clock, and it smacked him right in the head, causing him to wake up immediately.

"Ow! Cid's girl, what the hell was _that_ for!" he shouted, springing up from his chair and holding his forehead in pain. Rikku wrapped the blankets around herself a little tighter, her headache beginning to grow.

"You should know, you big molester!" She shouted back, and Gippal stopped dead in his tracks. Then...he began to laugh.

"I...hahaha...I _molested_ you, huh? Yes, I certainly did, Rikku. In your state of flat-out drunkeness, I became the gentleman and attempted to get you into bed with me. Because I'm really into girls that vomit all over you when they sleep with you."

Rikku scowled at him.

"I wouldn't put it past you. You're nothing but a player, ya know! You abandoned me without a word, then left for the Crimson Squad. And I can only imagine how many girls you were with before you left to become a _hero_, Gippal. But just forget about Cid's girl, right?" she spat defensively, her tossled hair all over her face. Gippal felt as if his heart had just shattered into a million pieces. Now he had some reputation for _sleeping around_!

In his complete state of shock, Gippal found that he couldn't even say a word back. Her logic was so unbelievably twisted that he had no choice but to feel a bit shellshocked. He looked at his former girlfriend, his reason for everything. She was beautiful even if she _was_ furious, hungover, and tired. Suddenly, Gippal deflated.

"I _did _try to be the hero. You're right about that." he spoke softly, and tossed his blanket on the stripped bed. With that, he jogged down the stairs without looking back, passing Barkeep, and ran into the elevator. When he passed through the bridge, he saw Tidus asleep in one of the cockpit chairs and heard a particular sound coming from the bathroom. It sounded like...vomiting. No time to stay, though. He rushed out of the exit, preparing to head back to Djose. Preparing to leave everything like he'd done long ago.

Rikku sat up in her bed, her head throbbing. Inside, she knew something was off, but figured it was just her nerves after tangling with her ex boyfriend again. How did he _expect_ her to feel after suddenly re-emerging in her life? And in such a suspicious way, too! She stood, preparing to walk downstiars, but instead opted to fall into the bed with Gippal's used blankets on them. They...they smelled just like him. Her head throbbed again.

About 15 minutes later, Yuna dizzily emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was all over the place, and it looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Making sure Tidus was still asleep in his chair, she worked her way to the engine room, CommSphere in hand. When she seated herself on the floor, she flicked the round object on.

"Oaka? Can you hear me? It's Yuna...I need your help."

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Two weeks later, everybody still seemed to be a mess. Of course, Rikku was over her hangover, but she still couldn't shake the random appearence of the Machine Faction leader. Yuna was worrying everybody, though. More and more lately she was avoiding her closest friends, not speaking much at all and peering out of the airship's windows almost constantly.

"Rikku? When will we arrive in Bikanel?" she finally spoke one day, startling her cousin as she passed. Rikku slowly turned towards her, eyeing her presence at the window again.

"We should be there by nightfall...why? Is something up?" she replied, trying to read Yuna's face. She recognized her expression almost immediately; it was the face that said she was about to confront something she was frightened of, but had to be brave. She'd seen it a thousand times when they'd faced off against Spira's toughest contenders. But for what, now? Bikanel..._Home_ was completely safe; they'd seen it just a few weeks ago! What new danger could have arrived in the desert sands since they'd last left? Yuna shook her head almost too defiantly.

"No, no. Everything's fine. I'm just getting airsick, I think."

"Ok...if you need anything, let me know!" Rikku replied with a chipper tone to her voice. She now had to put on her mask that she wore during her pilgrimage with Yuna and with the fight against Vegnagun. It was the mask that covered all of her insecurities so that she seemed like the sane one---the crying shoulder. Obviously, something _was_ wrong with Yuna, but it seemed quite genetic that nobody in their family would have anything interrogated out of them. It just took patience and a smiling face. Even if that person was going through pain as well.

"Yo! We're here!" Tidus called over the intercom a few hours later. Though she had fallen asleep, Yuna still hadn't left her post at the windows. Rikku had just been wandering around the cabin, being careful to not drink excessively. Sure, it had been weeks since Nooj and Leblanc were married, but the sting of fighting with Gippal when she was hungover was still very evident. All the time Rikku had spent moping around the cabins allowed her to clear her mind, for the most part, and she had the opportunity to think things over.

Rikku realized that the Gippal thing wasn't going to just evaporate from her mind and go away forever. Unless she kept herself busy, it would eat away at her conscience, though she refused to do anything about it. No, there wasn't an Ice Elemental's chance in Bikanel that she'd confront him about anything. Because that would mean that she was giving him the time of day, and there was _no_ way _that_ was happening. If Gippal truly _was_ innocent, he would have bothered to stick around and explain himself. Instead, he choked up and ran out...he must've had some faulty alibi and cornered himself into saying nothing.

Rikku smacked herself on the forehead. _Stop thinking of him!_ she scolded herself as the Celcius began to land. The entire purpose of coming to Bikanel was to visit her father and dig in the desert. The work would keep her mind off of silly things, and keeping some of the earnings wasn't such a bad thing, either. Perhaps Yunie and Tidus wouldn't mind striking it rich, either! Yeah! This whole Bikanel thing was obviously the answer.

The Celcius landed, and Tidus was the first to bound off of the ship. He sniffed in the sweet desert air that only Home offered and smiled; it was nice to be back as well. Excluding his most recent trip, he really hadn't had the chance to see New Home/Bikanel since he...well...became a dream again. He, along with Rikku and Yuna, had watched from a distance as the entire place was forced to self-destruct during an invasion from Yevonites. That was the day that he and Rikku both endured one of the worst days of their lives. Rikku, of course, had to not only watch as many of her friends were killed during the struggle, but also the self-destruction of the place where she'd grown up. Tidus, on the other hand, had learned on that day the fate of Yuna. Well, what they _thought_ to be the fate of Yuna. She was destined to die during the Final Summoning, proving that ignorance, indeed, had been bliss. Then, as they all stood on the airship's bridge, watching their lives fall apart, Tidus learned that Yuna was about to be forced into marrying the most despicable creature in existence. Not a good day.

Yuna came off of the airship next, using the railing on the ramp as a crutch . She looked as if she were about to be sick, but she did her best to keep her head up and smile; just like the normal Yuna would. This place was obviously full of sad memories for her loved ones, but she hoped that her presence would ease Tidus's troubled mind. She was alive, after all! Nobody had suspected at that time that it would be _Tidus_ that would disappear with the Calm, but fate has always had a hand in these things. At long last, fate had actually brought them back together, but now there was something new for Yuna to worry about. Her eyes scanned the dark buildings, searching for...

Rikku finally came jogging out of the Celcius's bridge, eyeing her surroundings as well.

_Hmm. I know that Pops's work tent was right over there, but where is he staying? Oh, cred.There's no way I can stay another night on that airship; I've got to find an inn...but how? Who would be up at this hour?_

"YUNA!"

Some large being had bellowed Yuna's name in the nightime air, startling all three of them. Fortunately, it was no monster that came charging out of the shadows at them, but Brother instead. From within the surrounding Al Bhed buildings, lights were being turned on and miniscule shouts of protest were heard.

Yuna smiled poilitely and bowed a little, but she dared not speak in fear of vomiting on the large man. That just would not be very polite. Along with Brother came Cid and a few other Al Bhed mechanics. As the three were being greeted, Cid directed Rikku to a local inn.

"Ya see, just walk down this sidestreet, take a left, and knock on the back door of the second building. The guy's an insomniac; he'll be awake. How long are ya planning on staying, kiddo?" the man gruffly asked his daughter. Rikku bit her bottom lip as she watched Tidus and Yuna converse a few feet away.

"We might be here for a little while. I need to clear my mind and earn a little gil, so I figured digging was the way to go." she replied.

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Nah, I won't bother you with it tonight."

"Hey, you'd better come to me when you need it, ya little brat. I'm yer dad and I demand to know what's going on in that tiny, blonde head of yours."

With that, Cid clumsily attempted to put Rikku in his famous headlock, but she dodged it, laughing.

"You're getting pretty rough around the edges there, Pops! Too old to give your daughter a proper butt-kicking, huh?"

The two laughed; though the conversation would normally reflect the workings of a dysfunctional family, this was completely commonplace with the small Al Bhed clan. With that, Rikku began to walk towards the inn, already beginning to feel better.

"Come on, guys! I know the way to where we'll be staying!" She called over her shoulder, and Tidus caught up with her.

"Yuna said she's going to take a walk for awhile," Tidus replied, nodding backwards to Yuna. When Rikku gave him a questioning glance, he shrugged and added,

"She said she wants to get fully acquainted with the rebuilt city, and that she just needs to be by herself for a minute."

"You concerned?"

Tidus shook his head. "Nah, she's fine. Every so often she needs time to think, and I'd be a bad boyfriend not to give it to her, ya know?"

The two walked off towards the inn, leaving Yuna to inspect her surroundings. When she saw that the two were out of sight, she advanced towards a smaller building, where a man came stepped out of the shadows.

"Lady Yuna?"

"Hello Oaka...did you manage to find one?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll let you be alone now, but don't you hesitate to call me if you ever need anything again. And if it's not saying too much, by the looks of it that may be sooner than later."

Yuna sighed, carefully taking the object from Oaka. She shelled out a few gil, which the merchant kindly refused to take. After they discussed the location of the inn, the two said their goodbyes and headed in opposite directions.

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"Sir, Nhadala is here to see you about those Scouts."

"Yeah, alright, send her in."

The following morning, Gippal sat in his office with his feet propped up on his desk. To most people, he would appear aloof and carefree, but if truth be told the past couple of weeks had been hell for him. While Rikku mentally scorned him for his 'brute actions', Gippal continued to wonder what he had done to upset the girl so much. Amazing that he would continue to go out of his way to please her, yet always end up being a failure in her eyes. It wasn't fair, and Gippal, being himself, wasn't ready sit there and take it anymore.

Nhadala knocked quietly and entered, finding her way to the chair across from his desk.

"Hey, Gippal, how's it going?"

"Eh...so-so. Yourself?"

"I'm doing alright, but I could definitely live without the stress of these old Scouts breaking down on us anymore."

Gippal rubbed his eyes tiredly and continued to lean back.

"Well, now is both the best and worst time to spring this on you, but I've been working on a new prototype that you may want to check out. It's brand new and has all the bells and whistles a Scout needs, plus some extensions and weather-proofing. Problem is, it's only been tested in Djose." he explained, and Nhadala stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know, there's a pretty big risk involved. I mean, Home is being rebuilt, so diggers are coming from everywhere to help out. Unfortunately, more labor means less room for mistakes, so..." she replied.

"What about this? I'll give you 200 of the old models and let you beta test about 75 of the new ones. Just pay me for the old prototype so there won't be any returns in our customer service department." Gippal joked, letting his chair slide back down. Nhadala smiled, nodded, and placed the appropriate amount of gil on his desk. As she began to walk out, something struck her and she turned to face her business partner.

"Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you! Guess who dropped in last night to work for me again?"

"Who?"

"Yuna, Tidus, and Rikku! It's going to be so nice to have them around again. Not only are they hard workers, they bring lots of morale to the Al Bheds trying to construct Home again. You should stop by and see them sometime."

Gippal froze in his chair. Rikku had run back home to be with Cid? Ironic how history tends to repeat itself; Gippal being the bad guy and Cid being the one who could talk his daughter into anything.

"Gippal? You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Nhadala; do me a favor and send up Kheko. He can run things here while I check out the progress in Bikanel."

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Meanwhile, in Bikanel, Rikku woke up with a whole new outlook on life. Today marked the beginning of a whole new her. She would forget everything that Gippal did to upset her, digging her way through the desert sands and establishing herself as one of the best Al Bhed mechanics/escavators in history. It all started on this beautiful, sunny day. Nothing could dampen her spirits..._nothing_.

"Good mooo-ooorning, sleepyheads! Come on! Let's get out there and earn some gil!" She called down the hall after poking her head outside of the hotel room's door. The three were the only people checked into the inn, seeing as mostly all of the people working on Home were already living there. When she was sure that her voice had woken up her friends, she shut the door and headed to the bathroom for her morning shower. Little did she know that as soon as she headed back inside, Yuna and Tidus poked their head out into the hall as well...from different rooms.

"Feeling any better?" Tidus asked quietly from across the hall. Yuna gave him a small smile, but shook her head.

"Not entirely...but I'll be ok. You _know_ you didn't do anything wrong, don't you? I just had to gather my thoughts and fly solo for a night." she answered.

"It's all right. I'm going to go get ready; wanna talk about it later?"

"...That's fine..."

Tidus shut his door, and Yuna quickly scampered down the hall, letting herself into her cousin's room.

"Rikku!" she called inside, and heard the shower water running. "Rikku?" She knocked on the door but received no response. Counting to three, she quietly let herself in, where she was greeted by the blast of sound that was Rikku singing in the shower.

"Rikku!" Yuna shouted over the noise, and Rikku squealed.

"_YUNIE!_ Why didn't you knock!"

When she received no response, she tried being a little quieter. "Yunie...what's the matter? Why have you been acting so strange lately?"

"Come look for yourself..."

"Geez, what is it that you have to tell me that you have to actually show me, you big poopie head?" Rikku griped as she stuck her soaking wet head out of the shower curtain. Yuna bit her lip for a moment, then slowly handed her the object she'd secretly bought from Oaka the previous night.

"Yunie...this is...this is a..."

She dropped it, mouth gaping open at the High Summoner, who sighed and nodded.

"A home test...and I'm pregnant."

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_(A/N: Oooh! Gotcha there, didn't I? Didn't expect our elegant High Summoner to get knocked up, did ya? Sorry; that's being pretty blunt. At any rate, I once again apologize if this chapter wasn't what you expected, but I did try. If any of you have suggestions for the story, please do PM me and I'll do my best to work it into the outline that I've already written. Until then, thank you SO FREAKING MUCH for the reviews...you have no idea how happy they make me! -Lindsay-)_


	5. Origins in the Blinding Sun

**Glass Half-Full**

**Chapter 5: Origins in the Blinding Sun**

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_(Huzzah! Another chapter completed. I'm sorry it took so long, but things have truly been hectic around here lately. If I'm not sick, I'm scrambling to get projects wrapped up in the German Youth Academy. You know, writing papers and goosestepping my way to a better me. Ugh. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this one! I'm thrilled with the feedback you all have been providing...it never gets old! So yeah, please read and review and I'll churn out another chapter as soon as I can. -Lindsay-)_

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Rikku stared back at her cousin for roughly 30 seconds of complete silence, until Yuna lowered her head.

"Yeah, I know. I'm terrible; you don't have to tell me." she mumbled, running her hand through her hair. Rikku snapped out of her paralysis and shook her head violently.

"No. No, you're not, Yunie. Listen, give me just two minutes and I'll be right out, ok?" she babbled, and ducked back into the shower. As quickly as she could, Rikku finished up in the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and barreled into the main portion of the hotel room. Yuna sat curled up on the couch, so she softly lowered herself at her feet.

"Hey. It's alright, Yunie. You've saved Spira twice and found the love of your life already...the world had _better _not question your intentions to settle down..."

"But, Rikku! I'm not married! Little girls all around Spira have been looking up to me as their role model for as long as I can remember, and now they're going to think that sex out of wedlock is perfectly acceptable!"

"Not if we cover this up properly, they won't."

"What do you mean?"

Rikku looked down at her cousin, her emerald eyes shining with worry.

"Yunie, I don't want to force this on you...and I'm just saying that it could be an option..."

"What? What is is?"

"You and Tidus could always have a quick ceremony, ya know? And not really tell anybody about it, bridesmaids and groomsmen aside. The whole thing could be filmed, and you could release it to Spira later, claiming that you didn't want to leave anybody out when it came to invitations. That way, you could claim that it took place earlier than it did, and people would think that you got pregnant on your honeymoon!"

Yuna gaped at her cousin, disbelief lining her face, and Rikku blushed.

"I don't know. I've always had this thing for coming up with stuff off of the top of my head..."

"It's a good idea, but I _do_ feel bad about lying to my people about an issue like this."

"Yuna. You saved all of their lives twice...a little, white lie isn't going to smash your reputation. And, like I said, it's just an idea. Talk it over with Tidus; I'm sure he's been dying to get you to the altar, anyway!" Rikku joked, giving her cousin a small smile. "Don't worry about work, ok? I'll talk to Nhadala without giving anything away."

Yuna stood, small tears beginning to work themselves down her cheeks, and embraced her younger cousin. There was an unspoken appreciation for her cousin's mischievious ways, though she meant well. Who knew how Yuna would have gotten through many of her uncompromising situations without the smiling Rikku backing her up the entire way...

"I'm gonna go talk to him...see you when you come home." the High Summoner choked out, hastily wiping the tears from her face, and Rikku simply nodded. Yuna left, and she continued to get ready for the day of digging ahead of her. Geez, what had started as a flawless day had immediately taken a turn on her, but she wasn't upset; if anything, Rikku had nothing but concern for her cousin. She'd started being her guardian when she was 15, and a guardian's duty is to protect the summoner until their death. Well, Yunie hadn't died in the Final Summoning, so technically, neither did Rikku's civic duties of protecting her. And now would be a terrible place to simply ignore those duties.

Rikku pinned the last braid up in her hair, gave it a healthy shake, and started out of the door. As she passed Yuna and Tidus's room, she decided to slow her pace down in order to listen in. The door had been shut, so it was easy for her to get close to it.

"You...you mean...you're going, to, ahh, h-have a baby?" she heard Tidus hoarsely choke out, though his tone was gentle. There was a slight pause, and Yuna replied,

"Yes, Tidus. You're going to be a father in roughly seven months."

Another pause. Then, suddenly, it sounded like a great mass was thrown on the floor.

"Oh...oh, dear. Tidus?" Yuna asked.

Rikku bit her lip. Yikes.

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The wind carried Rikku's blonde hair as she rode through the desert sands, contemplating where to start digging first. She'd arrived to work on time, telling Nhadala that Yuna simply was feeling extremely under the weather today. It was useless to tell anybody about her pregnancy if she wasn't even sure Tidus would regain consciousness in time for the baby to be born. Besides, Yuna and Tidus had to work things out with close family, hopefully tying the knot before all of Spira found out about the bundle of joy.

The hover landed in the Western Expanse and Rikku nodded her thanks to the hover's pilot. She scampered around with her metal detector in hand, waiting for the gadget to sound its small alarm. When it finally did, she lowered herself to the ground, equipping herself with the proper digging tools. She toiled away in the sand for quite some time, allowing her mind to wander while she did so.

_Bundle of joy, huh? Wow...that's quite a statement; it's probably going to be more like bundle of extreme emotions. On one hand, you'll have Yuna's mellow disposition and tendency to think things through and on the other hand, you'll have Tidus's spunkiness and ADD-liike natu---OOH! LOOK!_

_A---piece of gil...cred..._

Rikku pocketed the gil and stood up, wiping the sweat off of her brow. Once again, she set off to find something to dig up. She'd only dug up a simple piece of gil, and even though it had taken her a few minutes, it wasn't very hard labor. The only thing that could make her sweat like she did was the hot, Bikanel sun beating down on her. It wasn't that Rikku had grown out of touch with the sun and forgotten what it was to toil away in the desert; it was the fact that she'd never felt the temperature rise like this since...

_It was so horrendously hot that day that the 13 year old Rikku would have preffered that Sin swallow her up as opposed to her having to work in the hover garage. That being the case, her father had called the day off of work for all Al Bhed people; they were accustomed to the heat, but this was ridiculous. At the time, Home was still on its feet and there wasn't much digging to do. There were just simple, day to day jobs like mechanics and merchants, food vendors and inn runners. And on this exceptionally hot day, every one of those workers were allowed to do as they please._

_Rikku trotted into the makeshift recreational center that the Al Bheds had built. There was a huge sphere projection on the wall that ran the news and Blitzball games, as well as simplistic gambling games and other things for the youth to enjoy. Today, the place was packed considering there was nothing else to do. Most of the games were filled, so the blonde girl decided to simply take a seat at a booth near a window. The sun still poured in and covered everything in her vicinity, but it wasn't as harsh as the dry air that accompanied it outside. As she gazed out the window at the uncharacteristically still city, she heard a few other kids mumbling a few feet away from her. They had occasionally dropped her name, but she chose to ignore it. It was pretty commonplace for her to be mentioned, considering who her father was. Rikku was never conceited about her heritege; she just accepted it and moved on, never wanting too much attention drawn to her._

_Suddenly, three or four of those kids piled into the booth she was in, all staring at her intently. When she turned to look at them, one rather fat one spoke up._

_"Hey, you're Cid's daughter, aren't you?"_

_She shrugged and nodded a bit. Shyness wasn't normally Rikku's persona until her bloodline was brought up._

_"Well, who are you gonna make your prince someday, huh?"_

_"Yeah! You gonna pick a stud like me or a loser like Lakkam?"_

_"Hey, shut up, Eigaar! I've got bigger muscles than you AND I'm a better kisser than half of you guys!"_

_"How do you know, Lakkam? You been making out with Nimrook lately? I bet I'm the best kisser, and that's what the princess wants."_

_"No, Berrick, Lakkam hasn't touched me. But I'll tell you who HAS, and I bet Rikku's better than all of them."_

_Nimrook winked and tried cornering Rikku, who gasped and opted to destroy him; fortunately, she was cut off when the job was done for her. Nimrook was picked up by the collar by a figure that she couldn't make out in the bright sun and tossed to the ground. He landed with a grunt, not daring to move once his body hit the floor. Either that or he simply couldn't. After that, the shadowy figure leaned over the table and growled,_

_"If you don't want to end up like your obnoxious friend, I'd leave right now.That, or I'll repeat what I did to him to all of you; if I can't, I'm sure Cid would be happy to kill every one of you."_

_The kids stared at him for a moment, then quickly got up and scrambled to the other side of the room. The figure, however, remained. Rikku shaded the sun from her eyes for a moment to make out the boy who had saved her from the rude boys. What she saw amazed her._

_He stood proudly, watching the others run away from him through one narrowed eye; the other was covered with a black, studded eye patch. His hair was as golden as any other Al Bhed's, but his was spiked straight up. He was unbelievably good-looking, and what seemed like a badass as well. Not too shabby. But now wasn't the time to throw herself at silly boys; she was better than that!_

_After he was satisfied with his results, the boy lowered himself across from Rikku, making sure to give her enough space after being nearly suffocated. He blinked, cocked his head, then stated,_

_"I just saved your skin, Cid's girl."_

_Rikku, as defiant as she'd always been, pouted and crossed her arms._

_"I have a name..."_

_"Bet ya do. Mine's Gippal."_

BEEP BEEP BEEP. The metal detector sounded in Rikku's hands, snapping her out of her trance. She cursed to herself; the whole point of coming out to the desert was to forget about that creep, and here she was thinking about the day they met. Rikku scoffed. Happy memories like these were the reason she couldn't stand reminiscing; she wanted to stand her ground, avoiding anything that could sway her opinion. She hastily flopped to the ground, digging around in the hot sand. She hated hot days like these.

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Gippal glared into the bright sun as he stepped off of his airship and into the Bikanel sands. New Home stared him right in the face; it was very apparent that the Al Bhed people had been practically slaving themselves away at the rebuilding of the beautiful place. Fortunately, the people themselves didn't see it as slaving away; they saw it as an opportunity to start over and show the Yevonites how truly hard-working they all were. Nhadala just a few feet away from him, advancing towards him when the sands finally cleared. She was laughing.

"Crimany, Gippal! We both came from Djose today, but I've been here for hours!"

Gippal scratched the back of his head.

"Ahh, yeeeeeah. I didn't get to sleep till late last night, so I kinda let myself sleep in today."

"Aha. Well, follow me. I'll take you on a tour of the digging grounds."

Minutes later, the two were balanced on a hover, speeding through the Eastern Expanse. Nhadala was going on about something, but Gippal's mind was elsewhere. Where was Rikku? As pissed off as he truly was about the clock-tossing incident, there was something inside of him that simply forced him to forgive her. Accompanied with the slight forgiveness, there was the pain of her acid-like words. She'd called him a player and accused him of abandoning her. Well, he really hadn't said much when he had to leave, but it would have complicated things tenfold if he had. He'd wanted to be her hero---her prince----but she couldn't know what had happened. She would have hated her family and distanced herself from him as well. Joining the Crimson Squad truly was his best option, but the timing was completely off. And, come on! A player? Girls were all over him 24/7, but nobody said he ever took up their offers. His life was in the Machine Faction...and occasionally waiting for visits from the Gullwings. When those visits came, he'd played it off like it was nothing to make Rikku more comfortable. Unfortunately, that triggered her to build up some sort of wall. In return, he built up his, even though his heart told him otherwise. She'd understand someday...he'd _make _her understand.

"And here we are in the Western Expanse of the digging grounds..." Nhadala rambled on, and Gippal mutely nodded. Suddenly, a blonde figure was seen in the distance, and Gippal tightly gripped the hover's railing.

"Stop." he commanded, and Nhadala, shocked, blinked at him.

"What?"

"Stop the hover."

Reluctantly, Nhadala turned to the pilot and mumbled something; the airship slowed to a stop roughly 50 feet away from the girl. Nhadala gazed at Gippal expectantly, but Gippal just looked on.

She looked, perfect, really. Her bronze skin was shining in the bright sun, and some of her long hair had come loose and dangled in her face. She distractedly dug in the sand, not even taking in the sounds of the recently-landed hover. But this is how Gippal wanted it. He just wanted to observe how Rikku was years ago; hard-working, beautiful, and passionate about whatever she did. Unfortunately, Nhadala didn't seem to know how much Gippal didn't want to confront her.

"Hey, Rikku!"

Both Rikku and Gippal spun to look at the oblivious Nhadala, who was waving to her prized digger. Rikku waved back with one hand and began to shade her eyes with the other. Who was standing with her boss? Oh, Yevon. There Gippal was, looking as confused as she was, with the same studded eye patch and white-blonde hair. Her heart leaped for a moment, but she quickly remembered how angry she was supposed to be at him and stopped smiling. She swallowed, dropping both hands and turning back to her work.

Back on the hover, Gippal sighed and turned to Nhadala.

"Take me to Cid's tent."

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Cid sat his desk, paperwork scattered all around him. He was mumbling to himself incoherently, occasionally slipping in a curse word and wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He didn't even noticed when a slender man walked into his make-shift office and seated himself across from him.

"Hey, Cid."

Cid jumped about nine feet into the air when Gippal spoke, but tried to cover up his anxiety with a goofy grin.

"Hey, kid. What brings you to these parts?" he replied, adjusting himself in his seat and extending his hand to his business partner. Gippal's mind raced back to he and Cid's beginnings, but tried to forget them as he took his hand and shook it.

"Ahh, just wanted to check out the expansion of New Home. Not letting the guys off on a day like this?"

"Heh, didn't have to. They took it upon themselves to stay home while I sat in this blasted tent and filled out paperwork."

"Sorry to hear that!"

"Nahh...so what's going on with the Faction? You got anything new for me?"

"Well, I sent Nhadala back today with a new scout prototype to test out, but I'm not entirely sure today's the best day to do that."

"How come?"

"I added in a new heat-seeking attachment for the diggers in the field. That way, when their temperatures reach a certain degree, the hover driver will be alerted and can come to their aid with water or what have you. Today's pretty hot, though, and I'm not sure it would work as easily."

"I see. Well, good work! Need anything from Bikanel?"

Gippal paused for a moment, stepping off of his soapbox and leaning back into his seat. He ran his hands through his hair and looked up at the aging man earnestly.

"Cid? Do you, uh, have some old blueprints that I could borrow?"

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_(A/N: Confused about Gippal's soliloquey on the hover? You should be. :grin: That was just my attempt to plant the seeds of...imagination...in you. All will be explained soon, I promise! But there has to be SOME air of mystery surrounding their past relationship, ya know? Hehe. Anyway, enough of my babbling, please review and tell me what you think. I love you guys hardcore! -Lindizzle-)_


	6. Additions to the Factory and Family

**Glass Half-Full**

**Chapter 6: Additions to the Factory, Additions to the Family**

_(A/N: w00t! Chapter Six has finally made its way to the Internet.What a relief! This writer's block was nothing but a pain, but I finally decided that I wouldn't let myself use my phone or leave my room until I forced it out of myself. (I know, not such a smart way to write, but I can't STAND drawing a blank when it comes to fictions. In Lindsay Land, it's been another rough week, but your kind reviews really encouraged me to get back on my feet. I really can't thank you enough for that! Anyway, enough babble---on with the story!)_

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Gippal smiled at Cid as he stuffed the aged blueprints under his arm. No matter how bad the situation with Rikku would get, Gippal knew that he held the remedy to every single problem in his hands. Well...not _every_ problem; he would have the talk the princess down from her heated rage before springing everything on her at once. But then..._then_ everything would be what it was supposed to be. Arrogance was totally acceptable in this case.

As he walked out of the tent, the fiesty Al Bhed herself ran right into him. Rikku bounced off of Gippal's swelled chest and onto her bottom.

"Hmm. You should really watch your step there, Cid's girl." Gippal spoke to the enraged blonde as he offered her his hand. She scowled, picked herself up and marched into the tent without giving him a second glance.

Inside, Cid sat at his desk, gazing pensively at the ceiling. Rikku almost had a heart attack; what the heck was this! If her father wasn't chain smoking and mumbling obscenities to inanimate objects, he was off building or destroying something---_never _thinking to himself or being absorbed in something non-machina.

"...Pops?" Rikku dared, crossing her arms and nearing him. Cid's eyes were glazed over as they met his daughter's, and he actually smiled at her. This was beyond weird.

"You okay?" she ventured as she took a seat across from him. Man, she _hoped_ her father wasn't already in hysterics; the last thing she needed was to venture all over Bikanel searching for Tidus's limbs after tonight. But she wasn't going to spring the news on her old man _alone_...

"Yeah, I'm good." Cid finally replied, snapping his daughter out of her trance. He stood, stretching his tanned arms and smirking. "What brings you here? You done diggin' already?"

Rikku's blonde head bobbed up and down as she chewed on the inside of her cheek.

_How am I going to spring this on Pops? _she thought.

"Well good. Cause I think it's time you and I had a little heart to heart."

_Oh, vilg._

"What say you and I talk over a good Zu roast tonight? Rin invested in a new restaurant chain here, y'know." the man suggested, stroking his chin as he paced behind the makeshift desk.

_Aha! That's it! I'll just shimmy myself back to the inn, get Yunie and Tidus ready and bring them with me! Hm. Poor Tidus..._

"Sounds good to me! But I gotta run back to the inn so I can get a shower. It's way hot out today..." Rikku replied, turning away from her father before he could protest. She didn't even think twice about the proposition he was making or what it was about; the only thing on her one-track mind was how she would get the big news to her father that night. As the tent flap closed behind her, Cid gazed at just about nothing as he shook his head.

"She's gonna have to hear the truth sooner or later..."

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Djose, as usual, was stormy and dismal when Gippal arrived. The lightning brilliantly lit up the sky as he bounded off of his airship and onto the soggy soil. As quickly as he could, he rounded up his assistant and charged upstairs to his office.

"S-s-sir! What is it? What's so important!" the young man asked as he watched his mentor excitedly charge around the room.

Gippal only gave him a lopsided smile as he rolled the blueprints out on his cluttered desk.

"You look like you just defeated Sin singlehandedly!"

This made Gippal laugh.

"Have you ever broken up with an Al Bhed princess?" he asked the boy.

"Umm. No, sir."

"Well if you had, you'd know that defeating Sin and getting back on her good side are just about the same thing. OK, take a look at these blueprints. I'm going to take a chance by halting all production on the old scout prototypes and taking about half of our lightning tower calibraters to work on this new project."

"But, sir, this is a----"

"I know. It looks insane, but I need you to split these blueprints up into sections, then assign them to different mechanic teams. This project, from here until completion, is top priority."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the young mechanic hastily gathered the papers and scurried down the stairs and out of the temple. Gippal sighed, smiled, and looked out the window at his busybody workers down below. It wasn't like him to not be down there, getting just as dirty, but he decided that today was going to be his vacation day. Besides, he owed it to himself after coming up with such an ingenious plan! Picking up his remote control, Gippal clicked on his sphere where the Kilika Beasts and the Ronso Fangs battled it out in the Blitzball pool. He plopped on a couch and let his mind wander.

_Cid's girl, you're not gonna know what hit you when you see what's in store for you in Djose..._

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"Come _on_, you two! Get a move on! There's no telling how long Pops will be in a good mood, so let's not risk letting it pass!" Rikku called over her shoulder as she led the couple out of the inn. Behind her, Yuna smiled as she tugged her sickly boyfriend by the hand. If Tidus were to clench his teeth together any tighter, he soon wouldn't have a jaw at all. But alas, the poor boy would have preferred lathering himself in meat and throwing himself in a pen of Queen Coeurls than face the wrath of precious Uncle Cid. His fate was unfortunate, really, but anybody destined to impregnate either Yuna or Rikku had it coming from the fiesty man.

Soon, the three arrived at the new Al Bhed restaurant, which was apparently a hit with the rest of the islanders. Cid stood outside waiting, finishing off the last cigarette he could have before dining. When he saw the three, his face initially lit up, but fell a bit when he realized there was more than just his daughter in his presence.

"Hey, Pops! Hope you don't mind Yunie and Tidus joining us; we just figured that it was time to have a family sit down." Rikku explained as she reached out and gave her father an unexpected hug. Cid's face showed obvious confusion...Rikku wasn't the type to sporatically give out hugs to her father.

"What the heck is wrong with you, girl? You know I love Yuna, but I needed to talk to you _privately_." he growled in her ear. She scowled and abstrusively stamped on his foot before replying,

"Well, get over it! My issue trumps your issue, OK?"

The two released, faked a smile, and the four headed inside. After finding a table and ordering drinks, Cid eyed the three while they were unusually quiet. How typically flighty of his daughter to demand attention, then avoid it at all costs. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Tidus clearing his throat.

"S...uh...sir?" he dared, fiddling with the hem of his pants. Cid cocked an eyebrow while Rikku and Yuna stared on, apparently in some sort of shock. It was _Yuna_ who was supposed to say something; Tidus's only role in the conversation was supposed to be getting the tar beaten out of him. It didn't exactly require much talking, but _somebody_ had to occupy Cid's rage. Yet instead, the Zanarkand Abe was taking one for the team by announcing the big news himself.

"What's eatin' ya, kid?" the older man asked, leaning into the table and eyeing Tidus with concern. Tidus intended to reply, but the words were seemingly stuck in his throat. Cid shook his head slightly and raised his glass to his mouth when Tidus blurted out,

"I got Yuna pregnant."

Cid choked on his drink, sputtering some sort of Al Bhed liquid delicacy all over the table. Some people turned around, not at Tidus's words, but at his future uncle's reaction. Tidus, as usual, started frantically waving his arms in front of his face while Cid tried finding his words.

"_You...! I'll----I'll k-k-k-kill you...:cough: you---"_

Finally, Tidus stopped him.

"Sir, I understand your anger, I really do, but..."

Cid wiped his mouth and nursed a growing headache with his right hand.

"But what you need to know is that I've died and lived for this woman...not only would I go to the ends of every world for her, I would gladly raise her children. As unexpected as Yuna's pregnancy is, there's no such thing as a burden when I'm as deeply in love with her as I am. I don't care how cliche'd it sounds. Oh...and you might not want to kill me if you want this baby to have a father figure."

The entire table was tensely silent as they awaited Cid's next move. Rikku was still recovering from the shock that Tidus's speech induced, but she also shared the concern that Cid could _still_ very well kill him. Finally, the man looked up from his drink.

"You love her?" he hoarsely spoke.

"Yes, sir."

"With every single particle of your being?"

"Sir."

"And you would go _beyond_ the duty of a guardian to protect her and your future child?"

Tidus nodded.

"What of a wedding?"

Rikku finally got the chance to chirp in.

"Oh yeah! We were gonna have a quiet little ceremony for the two, pretending that it happened before Yunie got knoc---pregnant. We're gonna tell people that she just couldn't invite all of Spira, so we'll send out the tapes later."

"Ooh! Better yet..." Yuna included, "we can just pretend that we're renewing our vows in some big city, but actually be getting married for the first time!"

The girls squirmed excitedly while Cid looked on at the Tidus whose heart rate was just beginning to recover.

"If you can love my Yuna as much as you claim to and put up with these two for the rest of your life, you have my blessing. Welcome to the family, blondie." he finally said, a warm smile beginning to cross his face. Tidus looked like 83 pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders as he returned the smile and sighed with relief. Welcome to the family, indeed. It was about time.

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_(A/N: Wheeeee! Tis done! Well, this chapter, anyway. Sorry for not really moving the Rikku/Gippal-ness along, but the whole pregnancy thing with Yuna needed to be addressed in order for the plot to progress. You'll have more coupling goodness in the future, I promise! Until then, 'prease' review! Thanks again for being such great fans! -Lindsay-)_


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